March Madness: Vegas and My Gut

To call me myopic with regard to my overall knowledge of college basketball this year would be charitable. Outside of catching a second half here and seeing highlights there, I have virtually no knowledge of the college basketball landscape, but that all changes in the next few weeks. I will be watching these games with the intensity of single mom watching her only son play soccer because it’s March and suddenly I care about the rest of the college basketball world (the same could be said for the NBA as well, I won’t truly tune in until the playoffs start).

Because of my woeful viewership participation, I decided that I would make my NCAA Tournament picks based solely on Vegas. Whomever Vegas decides is the favorite to win their first round game is the team that I’m moving forward in my bracket. As it turns out, there were no ties (this has no chance of being “accurate” because of the many upsets that occur during the tournament, but it’s an interesting way, for me anyway, to go through the bracket).

So I’ll go through the picks and comment where I would have made a different pick based on my gut (which is another way of saying the WRONG pick) and if I have anything at all to say about the game. Enjoy.

FIRST ROUND

EAST

1. Ohio State v. 16. UTSA/Ala. StateVegas Says: Ohio State (actually, there is no line because we don’t know the opponent, but I think it’s safe to say that OSU is the fav).

8. George Mason v. 9. VillanovaVegas Says: Villanova (+135.5 moneyline, and I really don’t know what that means).Comment: I picked George Mason in my GutBracket because I don’t like the way ‘Nova has looked lately, I mean their play, of course, because they look as good or better than any team in the tournament with those sweet unis.

4. Kentucky v. 13. PrincetonVegas Says: Kentucky (+13)Comment: As much as John Calapari is detestable, I still can’t muster up the hate that I should have for his teams. I loved the Derrick Rose Memphis team (you know, the one year…) and the John Wall Kentucky team (ditto). And I have to say, I like Brandon Knight and yes, I like Terrance Jones. Sorry.

6. Xavier v. 11. MarquetteVegas Says: Xavier (+2)Comment: For me, there is a three-way tie for the most ahole looking coach on the sidelines during this tournament: Marquette’s Buzz Williams, Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin, and Kansas State’s Frank Martin. I don’t know if these guys are actual aholes, but their sideline demeanor is Mike Stoops-esque. Anyway, it’s something fun to watch out for during the games.

3. Syracuse v. 14 Indiana StateVegas Says: Syracuse

7. Washington v. 10. GeorgiaVegas Says: Washington (+5.5)Comment: While UW is a 7 seed, they are a 40-1 shot to win it all. Those odds are not great, but the interesting part is they have the best odds of the other Pac 10 schools: USC 500-1, Arizona 60-1, and UCLA 50-1. It means nothing, but it’s interesting. I also saw that SI’s Luke Winn and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi are predicting that UW will beat UNC in the second round… and those dudes really break stuff down. Now THAT’S interesting…

2. North Carolina v. 15 Long IslandVegas Says: North Carolina (+17.5)

WEST

1. Duke v. 16. HamptonVegas Says: Duke (22.5)

8. Michigan v. 9. TennesseeVegas Says: Tennessee (+1.5)Comment: I picked Michigan in my GutBracket, probably because I’m still bathing in the afterglow of that ESPN Fab Five documentary. That team came along just at the right time for me. In ’91, I was a sophomore in high school watching a ton of MTV’s Yo, MTV Raps! and BET’s Rap City and was sick and effing tired of the super lame music that MTV was promoting during its non-rap dedicated programming. There’s only so much Skid Row and Tesla that a teenager can tolerate without retching all over himself (and I only did so on the off chance that I’d see some scantily-clad music video floozy gyrating on the roof of a Camero). Anyway, I appreciate the Fab Five for pushing hip hop to the mainstream even if the mainstream wasn’t ready for it yet. They will always be pioneers in my eyes. But perhaps more importantly, they ushered in the longer shorts era, which existed only in urban eras and amongst surfers/skateboarders (believe me, I was part of the second group of people and I never sported the short shorts even when I was 13, so back up off me). My point is they made it easier to buy shorts that didn’t stop at mid-thigh, and for that, we should all be thankful.

Incidentally, after watching Jalen Rose and Jimmy King talk about Duke in such glowing terms, I notice that Juwan Howard said nothing. Perhaps that’s because in ’99 he appeared in an episode in the West Wing where he played in a pickup game as a ringer for President Bartlett (aka Charlie Sheen’s dad). Anyway, when the guys protested and asked where he played, he sheepishly said, “Duke.” I can’t find the footage on YouTube, presumably because Juwan had it destroyed. I guess Juwan didn’t share the same B and P message that Rose and King shared with us. Anyway, shame on you, Juwan. Shame on you.

5. Arizona v. 12 MemphisVegas Says: Arizona (+6)

4. Texas v. 13. OaklandVegas Says: Texas (+ 9.5)Comment: Texas, or more specifically, Rick Barnes is not a guy I trust at all in the NCAA Tournament. In my GutBracket, I’d probably pick Oakland.

6. Cincinnati v. 11. MissouriVegas Says: Cincinnati (138 moneyline, again, I really don’t get it, and I don’t care either).Comment: In my GutBracket, I definitely picked Missouri, regardless of the players, I just like Mizzou’s frenetic, trapping, pressing style of play, especially in the first two rounds of the tournament.

3. Connecticut v. 14. BucknellVegas Says: Connecticut (+10.5)Comment: No love for the Bison. A buddy of mine, D.C., went to and played for Bucknell so I have a rooting interest, but I’m afraid this a bad draw for them. I’d rather see them face Syracuse or BYU (other 3 seeds) than UConn, Kemba (a dude I loved as a freshman) is pretty damn nice.

8. Butler v. 9 Old DominionVegas Says: Old DominionComment: Also known as the Boom Bap Project… if you don’t know…

5. Kansas State v. 12. Utah StateVegas Says: Kansas State (+2)Comment: You best believe that GutBracket went with Utah State. I don’t trust a coach who, on the sideline, acts like a frat boy who just found out his girlfriend kissed his best bro.

4. Wisconsin v. 13. BelmontVegas Says: Wisconsin (+4.5)Comment: GutBracked picked Belmont. Also, anyone aside from Badger Backers should want Belmont to take care of Wisconsin. Bashing Big Ten basketball for being boring is one thing, especially when it’s not altogether accurate. But you cannot say that Wisconsin plays anything remotely resembling watchable hoop. It’s excruciatingly painful. They run the clock down to single digits every time down the floor and hoist up a crappy three. It’s horrifyingly awful. I will not be tuning in to truTV for that one (if I can find the channel… just kidding, it’s 705 on Comcast HD).

6. St. John’s v. 11. GonzagaVegas Says: St. John’s (+1.5)Comment: The tournament does this to me every year. Two teams that I believe can make some kind of mini-run are pitted against each other. Also, this whole Southeast Bracket was the hardest for the GutBracket… I have zero faith in the gut in the Southeast…

3. BYU v. 14. WoffordVegas Says: BYU (+8)Comment: Hey, the dude can score and has a great stroke. Plus, Jimmer is paired with the best possible color commentator (Bill Raftery) for his, um, proclivity to take and make big shots. Onions!

7. UCLA v. 10. Michigan StateVegas Says: Michigan State (+1.5)Comment: 14 losses??? I can’t believe that Michigan State was so horrible during the year. They did not look like the squad that UW faced in Maui, but then, UW did not look like the team they were in Maui for the rest of the year either. By the way, GutBracket has UCLA here.

2. Florida v. 15. UC Santa BarbaraVegas Says: Florida (+12.5)

Since the numbers are not available for prospective matchups in the second round and beyond, I’ve used the overall Vegas odds for each team to win it all to fill out the rest of my Vegas bracket.

6. St. John’s v. BYUVegas Says: BYUComment: GutBracket has St. John’s mostly because I love what Steve Lavin has done with the team and because I think BYU is probably rated a little too high after their post presence gave into his carnal impulses.